With the closure of some pediatric units in local hospitals, there’s an emphasis on caring for children with a more regional approach.

At St. Luke’s Hospital, pediatric care has taken a step forward with on-site physicians from Boston Children’s Hospital and a new look in its rehabilitated pediatric emergency room and in-patient hospital unit.

Deborah Allard

With the closure of some pediatric units in local hospitals, there’s an emphasis on caring for children with a more regional approach.

At St. Luke’s Hospital, pediatric care has taken a step forward with on-site physicians from Boston Children’s Hospital and a new look in its rehabilitated pediatric emergency room and in-patient hospital unit.

Boston Children’s Hospital is now offering 24/7 staffed pediatric care at St. Luke’s, both in its Emergency Department and in-patient pediatric unit. St. Luke’s is Southcoast Hospitals Group’s dedicated site for pediatric care. Besides treating children from the New Bedford area, it is also serving children from all areas of southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

When 21-month-old Judah Massoud of Fall River got sick in July, his pediatrician referred him to St. Luke’s for care. Judah suffers from asthma, and when sick with a cold or flu, his symptoms act up and make it hard for him to breathe.

“He had been really sick and in and out of the pediatrician’s office,” said Judah’s mom, Erin Massoud. “They sent us here. I was surprised. We didn’t know about it.”

The Massouds arrived at the new five-bed pediatric section of St. Luke’s Emergency Department. The department is quiet and completely closed off from the rest of the Emergency Department.

“We felt very well-taken-care-of,” said Jonathan Massoud.

The Massouds said they had typically taken Judah to hospitals that required a long and stressful ride on the highway for care. Now, they plan to visit St. Luke’s whenever Judah or their daughter, Penelope, 4, gets sick.

Judah spent four days at St. Luke’s in one of 22 inpatient beds in the newly renovated pediatric suite. Each oversize room is large enough for family members to stay overnight, which the Massouds took advantage of. Amenities include a family room and play room, bright, child-friendly artwork and lots of toys and video games.

“It’s so nice to know this is here,” Erin Massoud said. “I wouldn’t hesitate to come back. It’s really convenient and we got really good care.”

St. Luke’s is a site of Southcoast Hospitals Group, which also runs Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Both Charlton and Tobey see children in their emergency departments and offer consultations with Boston Children’s physicians at St. Luke’s.

Tobey Hospital closed its inpatient pediatric unit a year ago, citing too low a volume of patients to keep the unit open. It said the hospital was averaging about one patient per week and was no longer able to sustain the unit or keep doctors and nurses trained to treat young patients.

Tobey isn’t the only local hospital to shut down its pediatric program.

Morton Hospital in Taunton closed its pediatric unit for similar reasons this summer, after an outcry from the Massachusetts Nurse Association and others, though it does continue to see children in its Emergency Department.

Morton Hospital is owned by Steward Health Care, the entity that runs Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, which offers a pediatric unit in that city and has no plans to close.

Dr. Brian Sard, Boston Children’s on-site medical director at St. Luke’s, said word is getting out about the program. He said he’s seen patients that may have typically gone to Tobey and Morton hospitals.

“It’s a plus for the community,” Sard said. “It’s a real plus for families.”

Sard, a Dartmouth native, said families can bring their children to St. Luke’s and “get a lot of the same services as Boston Children’s.”

He emphasized the fact that Boston Children’s physicians are on staff 24 hours a day and work closely with local primary care pediatricians.

“It brings me much pride to be able to lead a program that brings top-quality care to my own community — for my neighbors,” Sard said.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldenws.com.

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